The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) proudly celebrated its annual awards ceremony on Saturday, March 28, 2026, during the organization’s 43rd Annual Conference. This event is an important moment each year to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding contributions of researchers, clinicians, educators, and advocates who advance our understanding and treatment of trauma and dissociative disorders. This year’s awards ceremony recognized many exceptional nominees whose innovative and dedicated work continues to enrich and transform our field. We’re excited and proud to celebrate the achievements and contributions of our community.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor, awarded to individuals who have contributed substantially to the field and ISSTD over 15 or more years. Frank Corrigan andDavid Gleaves were celebrated for decades of pioneering contributions to trauma psychology, treatment methodologies, books, and advocacy in the complex trauma and dissociation field. Their careers have profoundly shaped clinical practices, academic research, and the training of hundreds of clinicians. We were lucky to hear stores about these two legends from those working closely with each of them.
Morton Prince Award for Scientific Achievement
The Morton Prince Award for Scientific Achievement recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to science that advanced our understanding of trauma and dissociation. This year, we honored Milissa Kaufman for her cumulative contributions to research and trainees. Dr. Kaufman has transformed the field through a career dedicated to rigorous science, clinical practice, and the humanization of trauma-related conditions. Her work spans trauma-related dissociation broadly and dissociative identity disorder (DID) specifically, integrating behavioral, neurobiological and psychophysiological approaches to reveal mechanisms underlying dissociation and its clinical manifestations. Beyond her scientific achievements, Dr. Kaufman has profoundly shaped the next generation of clinicians and researchers who, in turn, contribute further to science.
Distinguished Achievement Award
The Distinguished Achievement Award honors individuals who have made substantial contributions to clinical, academic, or educational work in the field or to ISSTD’s mission. This year’s award was given toLauren Lebois, a cognitive neuroscientist dedicated to understanding how the mind, brain and body adapt following trauma, with a strong commitment to translating science into accessible, clinically meaningful insights. Her long and exemplary track record of high-impact research, mentorship, training, and leadership at ISSTD has made a significant contribution to ISSTD and the field as a whole.
President’s Award
The President’s Award is presented by the ISSTD President to members who made outstanding contributions to the Society. Dr. Abigail Percifield awarded Adithy, Hvovi Bhagwagar, Karishma Shah Savla and Gayitri Bhatt with the President’s Award. These four individuals put in extensive time and effort to expand access to training in complex trauma and dissociation in India. We are grateful for the time they have put into not only creating the curriculum for a Professional Training Program Course specifically for those based in India, but also teaching the course and building a sustainable education program for these communities. You can hear more about their experiences teaching their first level I course here.
2026 ISSTD Fellows
Fellow status recognizes long-standing ISSTD members who have made outstanding contributions in clinical work, teaching, research, service, administration or public education regarding dissociation. David Archer, Alexis Arbuthnott, Jennifer Gómez andMary-Anne Kate received ISSTD Fellow status, recognized for their exceptional clinical work, teaching, research and contributions to ISSTD activities. These awardees have dedicated their careers to the field and to ISSTD, and we are honored to celebrate them.
Courage Award
The Courage Award recognizes courageous acts toward advancing awareness, support, research and healing for those affected by complex trauma and dissociation, especially in the light of the turbulent history of the field and society at large. In its inaugural debut, the individual Courage Award was presented to Jennifer Freyd, President of the Center for Institutional Courage and personal example of fighting for liberation in the face of oppression.
The institutional Courage Award was presented to The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Action Collaborativeworks to encourage and support system-wide changes across higher education to prevent and address sexual harassment and mistreatment experienced by all people in higher education, a mission particularly salient and courageous in light of a changing higher educational landscape.
Cornelia B. Wilbur Award
The Cornelia B. Wilbur Award honors outstanding clinical contributions to the assessment and/or treatment of dissociative disorders. Cori Palermo was honored with this award for her contributions that transform how individuals with trauma-related and dissociative disorders are identified, assessed and engaged in research and care at McLean Hospital. Through her innovation, integrity and deep commitment to those affected by trauma and dissociation, Cori Palermo exemplifies the enduring legacy of Cornelia B. Wilbur as this year’s award recipient.
Outstanding Student Award
The Outstanding Student Award honors a student or trainee for exceptional service, innovation or contribution to the field of dissociative disorders. Juliann Purcell recently completed her postdoctoral fellowship with the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program and theTrauma Continuum at Hill Center at McLean Hospital. She has shown remarkable dedication to the field, innovation in her scientific methods, commitment to the empowerment of those with lived experience, and offered invaluable service to ISSTD.
Staff Spotlight Award
The Staff Spotlight Award is given to those who staff recognize make significant contributions to the Society and may often be in the shadows. This award is meant to shine a spotlight on their contributions to ISSTD and its many programs and volunteer efforts. Dr. Tim Shaw, ISSTD’s Executive Director, presented this award to Shalini Watson, Ruth Blizard andShae Nester for their behind-the-scenes service to ISSTD, such as through the development of a training guide for the submission of conference proposal abstracts, service on committees, content creation for the ISSTD newsletter, and support at the 2025 Australia-New Zealand Regional Conference.
Richard P. Kluft Best Article Award
The Richard P. Kluft Best Article Award honors the best article published in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation each year. The recipients of this year’s award are Hannah Rondell, Martin Dorahy, andKongmeng Liew for their article, “Does the Portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder on TikTok Represent the Diverse Symptomatology of its Clinical Presentation?” This article carefully compared the symptoms of DID portrayed on TikTok to the symptoms of a sample of individuals diagnosed with DID. They found that the representation of DID on TikTok is not fully representative of clinical data and does not cover the full scope of clinical DID symptoms.
Pierre Janet Writing Award
The Pierre Janet Writing Award recognizes the best clinical, theoretical or research paper in trauma and dissociation published in the last year. This year, the award was presented to Bethany Brand, Hygge Schielke, Karen Putnam, Nicholas Pierorazio, Shae Nester, Jerrica Robertson, Amie Myrick, Richard Loewenstein, Frank Putnam, Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, andRuth A. Lanius for their research outcomes paper, “A Randomized Controlled Trial Assists Individuals with Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Finding Solid Ground.” This paper presents the interim findings of the first-ever randomized controlled trial testing the Finding Solid Ground program as a treatment for dissociation. The remarkable gains accomplished by clients included in this study reflects over a decade of treatment outcome research accomplished by this team.
David Caul Award
The David Caul Award is given for the best paper, thesis, or presentation by a resident or trainee in the field of dissociative and/or complex posttraumatic disorders. Hvovi Bhagwagar is recognized for her thesis titled “Secondary Traumatic Stress in Psychotherapists in India,” which used qualitative methods to explore the experience of psychotherapists in India who work with trauma survivors. Hvovi’s work as a clinician, teacher, researcher and supervisor reflects a long-standing commitment to thoughtful, ethical and relational trauma practice.
Frank W. Putnam Award
The Frank W. Putnam Award recognizes an outstanding book that significantly advances knowledge in trauma and dissociation. This year, we have two winners! Our first winner is Shin Shin Tang who wrote, Asian American Psychology and Psychotherapy: Intergenerational Trauma, Betrayal, and Liberation. The book offers a powerful trauma- and culturally informed information that any reader can use to co-create liberation with the Asian American community.
The second winner is Jaan Reitav and Celeste Thirlwell for their book, Putting Trauma to Sleep: Attachment-Based Neuromodulatory Interventions for Stabilizing the Brainstem. The text reflects a lifetime of research and clinical practice in this area and asserts that “every trauma therapist IS a sleep therapist.” The book combines decades of work to offer therapists practical guidance on integrating sleep into clinical practice.
Media Award: Audio-Visual
The Audio-Visual Media Award recognizes outstanding audiovisual media that addresses trauma and/or dissociation. Zaya Ralitza Benazzo and Maurizio Benazzo received this award for their production of The Eternal Song, which is a 12-film documentary series through timeless lands and Indigenous cultures. The film reveals how modernity severs our connection to nature, each other, and the ancestral realm, while feeding us empty promises of salvation, unlimited consumption and economic growth, and individual happiness.
Congratulations again to all our 2026 Annual Award recipients! For next year’s awards, it’s never too early to start your short list of prospective nominees you’d like to see recognized. Please check out our list of Annual Awards for more details!